Pagyesa Temple (Daegu)

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The whole area of Pagyesa-temple is surrounded with thick forest and clean valley that brings the visitors feel unworldly.
When you drive for some 10 minutes by car to westward from Buinsa-temple, a three-way junction will show up with a checkpoint. Descending road is stretched toward Daugu city center to the left from this three-way junction and uphill road is stretched to the right to Pagyesa-temple.

Pagyesa-temple was built in 804 AD (King Aejang of Shilla Dynasty).
While Buinsa-temple is closely related with the Queen Seondeok of Shilla Dynasty, Pagyesa-temple has a close relationship with the Great King Youngjo of Joseon Dynasty.

King Sookjong of Joseon Dynasty once dreamed about a monk coming into the palace.? The dreamwas so vivid that he let one of his servants to search out south gate and found a monk taking rest in front of the gate. That monk was no less a person than Youngwon-seonsa of Pagyesa-temple.

King Sookjong thought it strange so he asked Youngwon-seonsa to pray for 100 days asking for birth of a prince. ?Some time later, Sookbin Choi showed signs of pregnancy and a prince was born next year and this was the Great King Youngjo. ?King Sookjong was greatly rejoiced and endowed Youngwon-seonsa with a title of Hyeoneung.

Hyeoneung was a wise and intelligent priest. At that time, priests of Pagyesa-temple were under difficulty due to oppression by the Confucian scholars. ?It is said that Hyeoneung asked the King Sookjong to grant enshrinement of mortuary tablets of the previous king at the temple to stop oppression.? A Tombstone and Buddha of the great Buddhist priest Hyeoneung, together with a robe of the great king Youngjo are still in custody of Pagyesa-temple.

In the precinct of Pagyesa-temple, 4 magnificent buildings such as Jindong-ru(tower), Seolseon-dang, Jeokmuk-dang, with Wontong-jeon(Hall of the Avalokitesvara) at the center, form 'ㅁ' shape. Wontong-jeon(Hall of the Avalokitesvara) is a central building and a robe of the Great King Youngjo was discovered here, and Mokgwaneumbosalsang (wooden statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) (Cultural Treasure No. 992) is enshrined here as well.